Project: Compact kitchen overhaul in an Upper West Side high-rise studio

Before: Despite its condition, the owner, who works in real estate, actually remembers his old 85-square-foot kitchen with surprising fondness. Beneath a harsh fluorescent fixture, low-end plastic laminate cabinets and counters were worn and stained. Above the 1980’s white stove, the hood’s exposed exhaust hose was sloppily sealed using pieces of tape. The floor was a dated black-and-white resilient tile checkerboard.

After: The delighted owner notes that this “reno way exceeded my expectations.” As his Sweeten profile requested, his contractor handled the co-op’s intimidating application process. None of the appliances or worn-out finishes were worth saving—only the new refrigerator was relocated. Glossy modern white cabinets make the space feel less narrow than brown wood upper cabinets could have. Undercabinet LED lights shine onto the engineered quartz countertop. The undulating wall tiles were found on a showroom shopping trip with his contractor, and the owner first saw large-format slate-look floor tiles on design blogs.

Bonus: The contractor’s cabinetmaker matched the budget-friendly veneer so that the grain continues from one section of lower cabinets to the next without interruption.

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